New Central Library

NEW CENTRAL LIBRARY

Providing approximately 240,000 sq ft of usable library space – 66% more than the existing downtown library – the NCL will be home to a physical collection of approximately 600,000 books, special programs and spaces for children and teens, a technology commons and laboratory for innovation, a centre that supports community integration and advancement through skills development, and much more.

For its New Central Library (NCL), the City of Calgary chose a prime location: one block east of City Hall in the burgeoning cultural hotspot of East Village. The site provides a key destination and link that will draw Calgarians from downtown through City Hall to the NCL and East Village.

Since construction began in 2014 with the LRT encapsulation, work on the NCL has progressed well, and the building – which promises to be one of the world’s most dynamic and inspired public libraries – is set to open to Calgarians in November 2018. A space for people to think, dream, explore and become, the New Central Library’s vision is “To Inspire All.”

The monumental task of delivering a landmark library that will serve Calgarians for generations to come has been enthusiastically embraced by three highly engaged and committed partners: Calgary Public Library, CMLC and the City of Calgary.

The project

Planning for the New Central Library began in 2004, when Calgary City Council committed $40 million to the project. In 2011, council committed an additional $135 million from Calgary’s Community Investment Fund toward the NCL. CMLC then contributed $70 million from our Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) to top up funding for the total project cost of $245 million.

RECENT UPDATES

In April 2018, CMLC announced NCL's public art program, which consists of two installations by artist Christian Moeller.

The search for an artist first began in 2014, when CMLC issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from local, national and international artists. Through a robust and multi-staged selection process which was informed by the City of Calgary’s Public Art Program, the responses CMLC received—239 in total—were first narrowed to a list of 35, then to a shortlist of five finalists. The Volunteer Art Committee selected Moeller for his proposal to create an iconic outdoor three-piece sculpture suite and an interior installation.

To complete the public art installations for the New Central Library, the artist worked with a budget of $2 million which is inclusive of all fees, expenses, and fabrication costs, delivery and installation.